A thought to make us think

I was thinking earlier about what it really means to die and is this actually the end??

Now I know this is a morbid thought, and I know that potentially this is a subject that we really don't want to face or think about. However I have been thinking about it, especially today my late Grandmothers birthday, and I wonder is it an end or merely the start of journey, or the continuation of a longer one..........

The actual act of dying is really only as long as 1 breath. We breathe in, we breathe out, we breathe in.....we don't breathe out and we are dead. So despite the suffering up to the end, be it swift or a long drawn out illness, the actual death of the physical presence part is only 1 breath long.

The question is whether or not this is the actual end and why we fear it so much.

Fear is born from our lack of knowledge. We do not know what "the end" actually is and despite near death experiences, as no dead person has come back to life recently, the knowledge of what actually happens has bred fear of the situation.

There is a school of thought that would suggest that as the body dies, so does the soul and that is the end. The final closing of the book and final. There is no "afterlife", no heaven, hell or hinterland to be passed through. Death is the end of that persons life story. A very simple outlook. A beginning at birth, a middle as we live and an end when we die.

The only fear here is the actual act of dying and how that result is come by. However there cannot be a fear of the unknown as there is no unknown.

The other school of thought is a little more involved.

When a body dies this is the end of a physical presence on earth, the soul ascends (or descends) to heaven (or hell) and carries on through all eternity in paradise. What more could we ask for?..

But what is the next stage, if there is one, really. It could be felt that having spent a number of years on earth paradise now gives the chance to sit on the beach for ever enjoying all around. Not for a week, or a month but for all eternity. So would this paradise actually become very far from it??

When we die our fear is of the unknown and also for the people we leave behind, not only how will they cope with their loss but also our regret at losing them, or do we lose them.......

Often it is felt that EVERYBODY has a "guardian angel" asigned to them. Some say they see their angels and that angels always help them when asked or needed. Others suggest that an angel will leave a sign of their prescence. Sometimes a white feather appears from nowhere, sometimes a missing item suddenly reappears with no rhyme or reason. Often a guardian angel can be joined or can bring a visitor to contact us.

As we don't know we are always asking for a sign from the dead, or our angels. If a person believes in the afterlife then occurences that we may miss otherwise suddenly become these signs. A strange smell, an odd incident or meeting. All of these (and more) are possible contacts.

So why do we fear death so much? If actually all it sees is the demise of our bodies but not our soul then what is there to fear? In fact should we rejoice. We are ridding ourelves of the burden of a body that all too often we don't like anyway!!! Everyone has bits of their body they don't like. I dislike the way my weight yo-yo's and I am not to keen on what I see as my pot belly. Some people dislike their stick legs, hair on their back or mishaped toes. Whatever, is death not the solution? No more body issues!!!

I would say I am on the fence. I am normally, but for this I am not sure, or I don't want to be sure.

I have thought about this issue, and I have many views. I guess my current belief is based on what I want (or need) to believe.

I would say I come across white feathers at odd places and times. I know it could be said a bird was nearby and dropped a feather, but I choose not to believe this. I would say that I experience odd occurences, sights or smells at strange times. I appreciate that they probably could be explained, but I don't wan't them to.

And it is this that gives comfort to the living, I believe in all sorts of strange theories.

I think we do have angels, or guides as I call them, helping us through life. I believe that after death our bodies die and then we are offered some choices - do we want to be reborn, do we need to be an animal now, would we like to be a people guide, would we like to stay in the hinterland as a form of ghost. If we do would we like to be mischievious or just good. Do we need to stay near our families or should we just visit them and do other things.

This comfort helps us the living, it may help us be more prepared for death, and it may allow us to accept loosing those we love, however short this period may last for.

Does it remove the fear of death? Probably not, although it may shift the fear from the unknown to merely one of regret over what we cannot share as a living being.

I accept that this is a strange blog entry and morbid with it. I am not contemplating an end to life (do not worry) I guess my odd mental state right now has allowed me to think of things that I may not have even thought of a few years ago. My qustion now is what do others think? Do you have a theory to offer alongside mine.